【 Li Xiang China 】 The Continuity of Chinese Civilization and Its Cultural Gene Evidence | Archaeology | Culture
On June 2, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the forum on cultural inheritance and development and delivered an important speech. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the outstanding continuity of Chinese civilization fundamentally determines that the Chinese nation is bound to go its own way. After visiting the special exhibitions on "the Origin of Civilization" and "Zhaizi China" at the Chinese Archaeological Museum of the Chinese Academy of History, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it is inseparable from archaeology to understand the long history of Chinese civilization and perceive the breadth and depth of Chinese culture. It is necessary to implement major projects such as "Comprehensive study of the Origin and early Development of Chinese Civilization" and "Archaeological China", and do a good job in the study and interpretation of the origin of Chinese civilization.
An empirical study on the pluralistic pattern of Chinese Civilization
On the day when General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important speech, teachers and students majoring in archaeology at Shandong University were carrying out archaeological excavations at the first two sites of Zhangqiu Jiaojia and Gaomi Qianzuzi. In the evening, the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the forum on cultural inheritance and development came. Teachers and students who are carrying out archaeological work on the two sites are all deeply proud and encouraged to personally participate in the exploration of the origin of Chinese civilization and the major project of "Archaeological China." The archaeological project of Jiaojia site is a major project of exploring the source of Chinese civilization in Haidai area. It has been approved as one of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in 2017, which provides an important support for demonstrating the more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Basin. The archaeology of the Qianzhongzitou site is an important part of the Xia, Shang and Zhou archaeological project in Haidai, China, which has achieved phased results, providing physical evidence for the formation of the pluralistic pattern of Chinese civilization. From the perspective of regional history and regional archaeology, the two archaeological projects contribute to the study of the important historical proposition of the exploration of the origin of Chinese civilization and the formation of the pluralistic pattern of Chinese civilization. Therefore, combining these two archaeological projects to learn the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, the experience is particularly specific and profound!
Standing at the height of the overall historical situation and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly given important instructions to Chinese civilization and excellent Chinese traditional culture. This important speech systematically expounded for the first time that continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peace are the outstanding features of Chinese civilization, and once again stressed that it is the only way to open up and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics on the profound basis of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. it is the only way to combine the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's excellent traditional culture.
Reveal the development of the history of Chinese civilization
Archaeology plays an irreplaceable role in the study of the origin and early development of Chinese civilization. During the 23rd collective study of the political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on September 28, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we should build archaeology with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style and Chinese style to better understand the long-standing, broad and profound Chinese civilization. It is pointed out that the understanding of history is inseparable from archaeology, and we must attach great importance to archaeological work so as to provide strong support for carrying forward Chinese excellent traditional culture and enhancing cultural self-confidence. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed during the 39th collective study of the political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on May 27th, 2022 that the Chinese Civilization Exploration Project had a relatively clear understanding of the historical context of the origin, formation, and development of Chinese civilization, as well as the formation and development of the pluralistic pattern of Chinese civilization, as well as the characteristics and causes of its formation. At the same time, the achievements of the source exploration project are preliminary and phased, there are many historical mysteries to be solved, and there are many major issues that need to be reached through empirical and research. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the forum on cultural inheritance and development is in line with the spirit of the above important speech and is an important part of Xi Jinping's thinking on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. in particular, it is of great guiding significance for us to deeply understand and understand "combining the basic principles of Marxism with excellent Chinese traditional culture."
The most prominent feature of Chinese civilization is the continuity of its development. For more than one hundred years, archaeological discoveries and research achievements have revealed the development process of more than five thousand years of civilization in China. Especially since the implementation of the Chinese civilization exploration project, archaeologists have carried out archaeological excavations and interdisciplinary studies in the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins, revealing the features of two primitive ancient countries, Liangzhu Ancient Kingdom in Zhejiang Province and Jiaojia Ancient Kingdom in Shandong Province, more than 5,000 years ago. Among them, as the representative of the earliest original "ancient country" city sites in China, more than 2000 house sites, large aristocratic tombs and sacrificial pits have been excavated at the Jiaojia site in Zhangqiu, Shandong Province, which belongs to the middle and late Dawenkou culture, and more than 10,000 cultural relics of all kinds have been unearthed. From the aspects of making tools, building villages and building cities, it shows multiple characteristics such as "complete elements of civilization, the opening of a civilized society, and the initial formation of the etiquette system represented by the coffin system", which strongly demonstrates the history of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. A set of "etiquette system" created by the ancestors living in Dawenkou, Jiaojia, Gangshang and other sites opened the beginning of the civilization of etiquette and music in our country. After the vicissitudes of life, the towering city wall more than 5,000 years ago has only less than half a meter of wall foundation and gate passageway. however, the exquisite white pottery, black pottery, jade and multiple coffins that reflect the hierarchical system still tell the world about the glory of Jiaojiagu. What is particularly important is that this set of etiquette system created by Dawenkou culture was completely inherited by the etiquette system of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, which laid an ideological foundation for the formation of a unified multi-ethnic country in the Qin and Han dynasties. From the perspective of regional archaeology and regional history, the goal and task of the Xia, Shang and Zhou archaeological research project in Haidai region of China is to study the process of the integration of three generations of countries from east and west to Yi Xia, and to explain the historical motivation of the formation of the pluralistic pattern of Chinese civilization. At present, the Gaomi Qianzhongzitou site, which is located in the Jiaohe River basin, is the dividing line between the Jiaodong Peninsula and the inland area, and it is also a very important area in the process of dynasty integration. It has preliminarily revealed the symbiotic physical remains of the integration of Zhou culture and Dongyi local culture, which provides an important support for demonstrating the formation of the pluralistic pattern of Chinese civilization.
Achieve cultural identity through etiquette identity
Etiquette and music civilization is an important feature of Chinese civilization. When human beings develop from an equal society to a complex society, it is necessary to have a certain coercive force to restrain and punish people's behavior, resulting in the earliest social norms, regulations and systems, the core of which is the monarchy. In our country, the belief system used to maintain and support the legitimacy of royal power is the civilization of etiquette and music. Through continuous and seasonal ceremonial music and dance activities, the elite express their awe of heaven and earth, mountains and rivers and holy spirits, and achieve the goal of condensing the centripetal force of ethnic groups and strengthening cultural identity by repeatedly reproducing and praising the great achievements of their ancestors. With the maturity of the writing system, these etiquette and music rituals developed into laws and regulations, that is, etiquette.
The outstanding feature of the continuous development of Chinese civilization has its profound historical and cultural genes. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Chinese culture accumulates the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and is a rich nourishment for the continuous growth and growth of the Chinese nation." There are many cultural genes of the Chinese nation, which have been summed up by scholars. From the perspective of archaeological discoveries and the analysis of historical documents, the author believes that the core cultural gene is cultural identity based on ancestor worship, and its spiritual essence is etiquette and music civilization. its materialized form is the ritual and music instruments of different materials produced in the prehistoric period and mature in the three dynasties. The integration process of three generations of civilization is the process of the acceptance of etiquette and music culture, which embodies the process of ancestral identity and cultural identity.
There are not a few scholars in the world who objectively evaluate the history of Chinese civilization. Toynbee, a British historian, once said that China is the only country in world history with a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization and uninterrupted development of civilization. He believes that as far as the Chinese people are concerned, for thousands of years, they have been more successful than any other nation in the world in uniting hundreds of millions of people politically and culturally. They have shown this ability to unify politics and culture, and have unparalleled successful experience. This ability and successful experience undoubtedly comes from the cultural identity with the etiquette and music system as the core.
As an important form of expression of Chinese civilization, the system of etiquette and music has a high degree of display in the aspect of archaeological culture. Wen Dean, a professor at Yale University in the United States, and Gary Feynman, a researcher at the Feld Museum of Natural History in Chicago, were deeply impressed by this. The archaeological investigation, excavation and research for more than 20 years have revealed the origin and early development process of civilization more than 7000 years ago in the coastal area of southeastern Shandong, and more than 2000 years ago in the Qin-Han Empire. Feynman also collaborated with the author to explain the process that different ethnic groups in different regions reached cultural identity through etiquette identity and reached cultural consensus through a series of reform measures to consolidate unity in the Qin and Han empires from prehistory to the Zhou Dynasty.
As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his important speech at the forum on cultural inheritance and development: "if we do not understand China from the historical continuity of a long history, it is impossible to understand ancient China, nor can we understand modern China. It is impossible to understand China in the future." Other outstanding features of Chinese civilization are also based on the continuity of the development of civilization. Therefore, strengthening historical self-confidence and cultural self-confidence and carrying it forward is the common mission of every historical and archaeological worker in the new era.
